Teach these essentials well in any purposeful writing, and with guidance students can transfer their use to all forms of writing.
1. Writing for a specific reader and meaningful purpose - writing with a particular audience in mind (which may include the author herself) and defining the writing task
2. Determining an appropriate topic – planning the writing, researching, narrowing the focus, deciding what’s important to include
3. Presenting ideas clearly, with a logical, well-organized flow – organizing the writing in an easy-to-follow style and form at the word, sentence, and paragraph level; putting like information together; staying on the topic; knowing when and what information and words to add or delete; incorporating transitions
4. Elaborating on ideas – including appropriate details and facts to stated main ideas; explaining key concepts; supporting judgments; creating descriptions that evoke mood, time, and place, and develop characters
5. Embracing language – “fooling with words” – experimenting with nouns, verbs, adjectives, literary language, sensory details, dialogue, rhythm, sentence length, paragraphs – all to craft precise, lively writing
6. Creating engaging leads – attracting the reader’s interest right from the start
7. Composing satisfying endings – developing original endings that bring a sense of closure
8. Crafting authentic voice – writing in a style that illuminates the writer’s personality – may include dialogue, humour, point of view, unique form
9. Rereading, rethinking, and revising while composing – assessing, analyzing, reflecting, self-evaluating, planning, redrafting, and editing as you go – all part of the recursive, nonlinear nature of writing
10. Applying correct conventions and form – producing letters and words; employing editing and proofreading skills; using accurate spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, legibility, formal rules of the genre
11. Reading widely and deeply – and with a writer’s perspective – reading avidly; noticing what authors – and illustrators- do; developing an awareness of how stories work as well as teh characteristics of various genres – such as fiction, poetry, persuasive pieces – and applying that knowledge and craft to one’s own writing
12. Taking responsibility for producing effective writing – considering relevant responses and suggestions and willingly revising; sustaining writing effort; self-monitoring, self-evaluating and setting goals; possibly publishing, including a suitable and pleasing presentation style and format; doing whatever is necessary to ensure the text is meaningful and clear to the reader as well as accurate, legible, and engaging
Routman, R. Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching. (2005) Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Writing Essentials for All Grade Levels
Teach these essentials well in any purposeful writing, and with guidance students can transfer their use to all forms of writing.
1. Writing for a specific reader and meaningful purpose - writing with a particular audience in mind (which may include the author herself) and defining the writing task
2. Determining an appropriate topic – planning the writing, researching, narrowing the focus, deciding what’s important to include
3. Presenting ideas clearly, with a logical, well-organized flow – organizing the writing in an easy-to-follow style and form at the word, sentence, and paragraph level; putting like information together; staying on the topic; knowing when and what information and words to add or delete; incorporating transitions
4. Elaborating on ideas – including appropriate details and facts to stated main ideas; explaining key concepts; supporting judgments; creating descriptions that evoke mood, time, and place, and develop characters
5. Embracing language – “fooling with words” – experimenting with nouns, verbs, adjectives, literary language, sensory details, dialogue, rhythm, sentence length, paragraphs – all to craft precise, lively writing
6. Creating engaging leads – attracting the reader’s interest right from the start
7. Composing satisfying endings – developing original endings that bring a sense of closure
8. Crafting authentic voice – writing in a style that illuminates the writer’s personality – may include dialogue, humour, point of view, unique form
9. Rereading, rethinking, and revising while composing – assessing, analyzing, reflecting, self-evaluating, planning, redrafting, and editing as you go – all part of the recursive, nonlinear nature of writing
10. Applying correct conventions and form – producing letters and words; employing editing and proofreading skills; using accurate spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, legibility, formal rules of the genre
11. Reading widely and deeply – and with a writer’s perspective – reading avidly; noticing what authors – and illustrators- do; developing an awareness of how stories work as well as teh characteristics of various genres – such as fiction, poetry, persuasive pieces – and applying that knowledge and craft to one’s own writing
12. Taking responsibility for producing effective writing – considering relevant responses and suggestions and willingly revising; sustaining writing effort; self-monitoring, self-evaluating and setting goals; possibly publishing, including a suitable and pleasing presentation style and format; doing whatever is necessary to ensure the text is meaningful and clear to the reader as well as accurate, legible, and engaging
Routman, R. Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching. (2005) Portsmouth: Heinemann.